News

DICE Talks Class Changes in Battlefield 3

Four playable classes being tweaked to reward team players without punishing lone wolves.

If you're a lone wolf hunting for headshots in Battlefield 3, DICE welcomes you to enlist in its upcoming shooter. But the developer is also overhauling its four playable classes to make squads in BF3 tight, powerful units, making team play more fun and rewarding than ever before.

In the latest installment of the Battlefield Blog, senior multiplayer designer Alan Kertz goes into detail on the tweaks DICE is making to the Assault, Engineer, Support and Recon classes. Fans of the franchise will immediately notice simply listing the classes reveals the biggest change -- the Medic class has been completely integrated into the Assault class.

The Support class is also being overhauled, with a bipod being added to the standard LMG to increase stability and accuracy. That bipod, which can be used on the ground when going prone or while standing behind cover like a window sill, will transform Support players into mobile weapons platforms.

"Support has always been about heavy infantry firepower from his LMG," Kertz said. "It's a role that we've wanted to feel different than Assault's running and gunning."

And Support players will have extra incentive to drop their bipod and unload: Suppressive Fire. A new feature in Battlefield 3, Suppressive Fire is an experience-earning in-game mechanic that will allow players to pin down enemies. Lay down fire in close vicinity to an enemy, and the barrage will cause that player to experience a graphical blur effect, limiting their vision while also decreasing their firing accuracy.

"Supported shooting with bipods and Suppressive Fire finally allows us to achieve an obvious difference between Assault and Support, since the heavy LMGs are not terribly mobile," Kertz said. "When deployed with a Bipod, they become an incredibly powerful force. Suppressive Fire forces the enemy to keep their head down and lets the Support gunner pin his enemies in place so teammates can flank."

The Engineer class will remain relatively unchanged, while the Recon class -- aka the Sniper -- is getting a significant update. Gun sway and a heavier barrel swing are being added to sniper rifles to do away with quickscoping, and Snipers will now have to hold their breath to zero in on enemy heads -- a-la Modern Warfare. Kertz said Recon is also getting a number of new gadgets to make the class more support-oriented and team friendly, but DICE isn't quite ready to reveal those details.

We had the chance to give the Battlefield 3 multiplayer and its updated classes a try at E3 in June. Check out our Interrogation Room BF3 preview for our thoughts.

Sharkey says: I had a blast playing the BF3 multiplayer at E3, particularly when I tried the Support class. Drop the bipod on your LMG and you can hold down the trigger for a 200-round adrenaline rush. That alone is a great addition, but the Suppressive Fire mechanic takes it to the next level, allowing teams to coordinate flanking moves while you pin down foes -- earning experience all the while. Can't say enough about how much these tweaks enhance the overall gameplay experience.